Where's Kono?
by montez
Summary: My need to fill in some missing hurt/comfort from episode 2.5 and to get the stick out of Steve's behind that the writers have seemed to have stuck there after the first episode of this season. Title says it all-Where's Kono? NOT a Steve/Kono-ship fic.
1. Chapter 1

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Disclaimer: Still don't own, though love my DVD from the first season and i'll fight to keep that.

_A/N: Okay, who didn't see that coming? We all knew something was up with Kono I was just really disappointed how they've written Steve so far this season-seemingly uncaring to Kono's plight, so unSteve-like. Monday's episode was good, but lacked that extra hurt/comfort that I'd hoped for with the previews. Again, Kono could have been hurt just a little more and Steve could have been a little more concerned, I mean when she left the bank ONLY Chin hugged her-I mean really? Where was Danny? but more importantly where was Steve? So to fill my need (and hopefully your's too) of angst/hurt/comfort and more importantly Ohana, this little fic sprang to life-hope you enjoy-Montez_

Steve McGarrett wondered if his life was ever going to get back to normal, well normal since he'd returned to the island over a year ago to bury his father and find his killer. And find Hesse he did, only to learn he worked for a man responsible for the turn his life had taken when he was sixteen years old and his mother was killed, not by a drunk driver like he's always been told, but murdered by the Yakuza because his father was getting too close.

Wo Fat had become the ultimate enemy now and the man had vanished again once Steve had escaped jail after being framed for killing Governor Jameson, then cleared, given his task force back, but with one less member, Kono. She'd been pulled in by IA, investigated for the ten million that he'd actually stolen to give to Victor Hesse when he'd strapped a bomb around Chin's neck and threatened to kill him if he didn't get the money. Again it was all a ploy; though Hesse was captured the ten million had literally gone up in smoke, thus keeping Steve from returning it to the forfeiture locker.

It had nearly sent Steve over the edge when Kono had been stripped of her badge because of him. He'd called her numerous times, but she refused to talk to him. He'd stopped by her place only for her to not answer the door. At a loss as to what to do he'd thrown himself into finding Wo Fat, trying to figure out exactly why his father had been found on a video meeting with Jameson and Wo Fat and dealing with the cases that started rolling back in once Five-0 was up and running again. The last month or so had been a non-stop blur. Then today happened.

Chin and Lori had been searching for Trisha Joyner who was tied to the death of the University of Hawaii's girl's volleyball coach only to learn that her husband's businesses were a money laundering front for a former dirty cop, Frank Delano. When one of his men showed up at the motel the two Five-0 officers were waiting for Trisha at, Kono had turned out to be driving the getaway car.

When Chin told Steve about it, it made him sick, what had Kono gotten herself into? Why hadn't he pushed harder to try and get through to her? Why hadn't he just marched into IA and confessed to taking the money and taken the downfall instead of feeling helpless to stop Kono from taking it? When had Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, Navy SEAL and Five-0 commander become so useless, he hadn't been able to see or stop the decent of a young woman he'd promised to protect, he'd failed her.

Pulling a gun on her was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do in his life, Steve prayed as he slide his Silverado sideways in front of the car Kono was driving, that she didn't come out of the vehicle with a gun, because he honestly didn't think he could shoot her, he'd die first. He'd been so furious with her in interrogation when she wouldn't talk, wouldn't even look at him. Then Chin called him back, took over trying to get through to his cousin, but before the young woman could say anything Fryer came in and dropped a bomb, Kono was working for him to take down Delano.

That was how they'd ended up here, outside a Honolulu bank waiting for Frank Delano to exit with the money Mrs. Joyner had taken from her husbands account when she left him, not knowing it was laundered money belonging to Delano who wanted it back. Kono'd had to go back in once Five-0 knew the truth and Steve didn't like it one bit. He'd allowed her to go back without back-up right there, alone, unprotected from a ruthless ex-cop who already had a string of bodies in his wake.

Once taking out one of Delano's men who almost blew the whole thing since SWAT, Five-0, HPD and IA were waiting outside the bank; McGarrett had made his way back toward the front of the bank. He tensed when several shots rang out from inside, the alarm sounding as Frank and his men came out with the money and a hostage. Delano's men were dropped quickly, with Fryer confronting Frank, his former partner. Once Fryer took Delano down, the hostage freed and uninjured, Steve looked around and noticed something, Kono hadn't exited the bank.

"Where's Kono?" He called out as he neared Fryer and Delano, who was lying injured on the ground. The former cop gave Steve a slight smirk making McGarrett's blood run cold as he took off toward the bank, he heard rather than saw Danny and Chin coming in behind him, "KONO!" Steve yelled as customers in the bank were being moved toward the doors by HPD. It was then he saw the slumped figure toward the back, near the elevators, the purple shirt and dark hair unmistakable, "KONO!"

He raced across the room, Chin right behind him as he heard Danny yelling for Medics, "No no no, this isn't happening." Steve mumbled as he slid in beside the young woman curled on her side facing the wall.

"Kono?" Steve heard Chin whisper, his voice barely hitching with emotion that the older man had been holding in for several weeks now.

McGarrett was hesitant, fearful to touch Kono, fearful of what he might find when he did, but he had to, he owed her that, he owed Chin that. Raising his hand, that was now shaking slightly, Steve pushed his fingertips against the young woman's neck, holding his own breath as he felt for the one thing that would tell him he hadn't lost someone else he cared about. "She's alive!" He called out, moving her hair away from her face, her eye's closed, her face relaxed in unconsciousness.

Moving quickly, but cautiously Steve slowly turned Kono onto her back as Chin dropped on the other side of his cousin. Both men winced at the amount of blood that now covered Kono's shirt, the ragged whole in the material on her upper right chest. Without thinking Steve pressed against the wound, trying desperately to stop the blood still pouring from it, "Where the hell are the medics!" he yelled as Chin took his young cousin's lax hand.

"Come on Cuz, don't you give up on me know. I told you I'm here and I mean it." Kelly ran his hand through her hair, clutching her hand in his other, praying for a sign, a grimace, anything that would tell him she was listening, that she could hear him. "Come on Kono, please." He whispered.

Steve had never heard that tone coming from the man across from him, Chin was pleading, begging his cousin to respond, but the young woman beneath McGarrett's hands was deathly still, the pressure on her wound not even garnering a reaction. "Please Cuz, you never gave up on me, I'm not giving up on you, so you fight this kid, do you hear me? You fight your way back to me." Chin's voice broke, Steve chanced a glance at the older man and saw a tear slip free, that tore at McGarrett's soul more than anything.

Commotion behind him got Steve's attention, EMTs finally making their way to them. But it took Danny's arm under Steve's to move the SEAL as he stumbled back a few steps, watching the scene unfold. Chin refused to leave Kono's side, her hand still held in his, his voice still pleading with her as the medics readied her for transport. Within two minutes they had her up and moving, Chin still at her side, Kono's eyes still closed as her pale form was rushed by Steve and Danny.

"What have I done?" Steve whispered so softly that Danny nearly didn't catch it.

"Steve?" Danny stepped closer to his friend who was now staring at his blood covered hands.

Shaking his head back and forth slowly Steve just stared at Kono's blood, "What have I done?"

Williams could see his friend shaking slightly; he can honestly say he'd never seen Steve like this. He'd seen him pissed, seen him mad as hell, seen him scared to death when his sister was kidnapped, seen him walking the edge of sanity when he realized Jameson was working with Wo Fat, but this, he'd never seen McGarrett in shock. "Steve, look at me…" Danny stepped closer, reaching for his friend.

However, Steve stepped back, his wide eyes pleading with Danny, "I did this…this is my fault…" Steve held his hands out slightly.

"Hey man, look…" Danny tried but Steve interrupted with a shake of his head.

"It should have been me, they'd never gotten to her if I'd just turned myself in, when did I become a coward Danny? When did I start forsaking people? I promised her, I promised I'd protect her and I didn't and now…" Steve just stared at the crimson color. It wasn't that he hadn't had blood on his hands before, blood of friend's, of college's. But this was different, he'd swore to protect her that night at her impromptu graduation ceremony, told her she was Ohana, but now he'd failed her, just like he'd failed his mother, just like he'd failed his father and now another person was paying the price for his lack of action.

Danny again stepped forward, this time Steve didn't move. The blond man reached out and took his partner's forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We didn't know until today, we did what we could, she made that decision; all we can do now is be there for her, for Chin." It was killing Danny that they'd failed Kono, she'd only talked to him a couple times since everything had fell apart and he too was feeling he hadn't done enough for their onetime rookie. Yet right now, he had to trust Kono to the doctors and he had to pull his best friend back from the very dark place he was slipping toward, he knew how McGarrett's guilt worked and knew if he couldn't stop that decent right now, if they lost Kono, they'd likely lose Steve too.

_A/N: Well, should I go on?_


	2. Chapter 2

Where's Kono?  
By Montez

_A/N: Wow again, but I should have figured you guys would be so supportive, but still wow-Thanks_

_A/N#2: Anyway just wanted to address a couple things, first, sorry for those Kono/Steve shippers out there, no romance in this story. I don't write romance very well and don't want to mess up the story writing something I honestly can't do.(Thou I'm not against such romance in FF, but not on the show). Second, this is not a Steve bashing story. This is how I wish they'd write Steve for season two, so far on the show he's seemed so distant from everyone, so unlike the Steve we've grown to love from the first season. I personally feel he's 'lost' so to speak. Everything that has happened to him personally, that's happened to his team, all in such a short amount of time. I like to believe he is just having a hard time dealing with it all and that might explain some of how he's acting. We know Steve cares about his team and i'd like to think he at least tried to be in contact with Kono, but she pushed everyone away. I don't buy into him totally abandoned her over these last weeks like the show seems to want us to believe-that's just not him. I'm trying to write our 'old' Steve, the one that feels way more than he is comfortable with and can't always deal with those feeling. I'm sorry if some readers see me Steve bashing, that isn't what i'm doing, I like to write our seemingly strong male characters as emotionally vulnerable. I believe it makes us love them more to see them falling apart sometimes, it makes it so much better when their friend's, their family help put them back together. Okay I'm done with my comments, hope you didn't give up on me and hope you enjoy chapter 2. Thanks again~Montez_

Chapter 2

Chin Ho Kelly clung to Kono's lax hand as the paramedics did their job on the way to the hospital. He studied the face of his young cousin, even in her unconscious state she looked exhausted, the last weeks wearing on her body, on her soul, he had seen it every time he'd looked into her eyes. She was lost, drowning just like he'd been all those years ago when IA drove him from the job he loved. Even learning she was undercover for IA didn't help with Chin's fears for her. Looking at her still form he felt a bubble of regret for the day he'd ever introduced her to Steve McGarrett.

Chin wasn't a vengeful man, never one to hold grudges, but when something cut into his heart, his soul it was there forever. Being labeled a dirty cop had hurt, still hurt even though he'd found, or thought he'd found a new home with Five-0. Yet the last few weeks had thrown his world into a whirlwind, having to go back to HPD because it looked as if Five-0 was falling apart after the arrest warrant was issued for Steve, then having to arrest his friend just hours later only for Danny to seemingly turn on him before he could explain why he'd done what he did. Then there was Kono, IA had locked on her like he'd feared from the day she'd entered the police academy.

And now this. Kelly didn't know who he was mad at more, Kono from keeping everything from him, leading him to believe he was loosing her to the corrupt world of dirty ex-cops. Fryer in IA for using Kono's family against her, forcing her into an impossible situation where she felt she needed to protect him from another investigation. Or Steve for not coming to Kono's defense to start with once he was cleared of charges facing him, part of Chin believed Steve had abandoned Kono after she lost her badge. He knew deep down McGarrett would never do that, he was too much like his father, but why hadn't the man asked about Kono, talked about her.

A part of Chin hated Steve right now for dragging his cousin into the theft of the ten million dollars, even though they were all aware of what the SEAL was going to do, Danny and Kono backing the insane plan to save Chin's life. Why had Kono been the look out? Why had that old woman remembered Kono all these month's later? And why the hell hadn't Steve defended the young woman lying motionless on the stretcher before him? McGarrett had made it seem Five-0 was invincible, nothing could touch them and the young, impressionable rookie had taken it all in, leading her to believe she had to do what IA wanted, what Fryer wanted to save them, to protect her team, damned it that wasn't a damn Steve tactic, sacrifice yourself for you team.

Then another thought entered his mind, isn't that exactly what Chin had done to save his uncle all those years ago? He'd taken the fall for something he didn't do to protect his family, realization dawned then, she wasn't following Steve's example as much as she was following Chin's. Now his anger turned inward, he'd done nearly the same thing, and because the young woman before him had stood by him them, had never wavered even when the rest of his family had abandoned him, she'd learned from him the lesson of self-sacrifice for those you care about, you love. "Damn it Kono…I'm so sorry…" Chin whispered, squeezing her hand gently as the ambulance pulled into the Emergency Room bay.

Kono's hand was pulled from his as the stretcher was removed; the back and forth medical talk lost in a mumbled haze as the older man jumped out, running to keep up, desperate not to lose sight of his cousin. He was stopped at the trauma room doors, a middle-aged nurse not allowing him access to the room, all he could do was watch from the hallway as Kono's was moved from the stretcher to the table, a flurry of activity swarming around the injured woman.

The doctor's shouted orders for equipment and tests, a call into the OR put in since the bullet was still inside the wound. Units of blood were hung, IV's placed, heart monitor leads hooked up as Kono's cloths were cut away, a sheet quickly covering her exposed body. But from where Chin stood he could still see blood dripping from the wound when the compression bandage was removed, it was then a shrill sound echoed off the white painted walls, the activity doubled in pace as Kono's heart stopped.

"KONO!" Chin yelled as he moved to step into the room, a large orderly stopping him as he watched the doctor start chest compressions, "Kono…" He whispered, watching her body react to the current sent through it in an attempt to restart her heart. "Please Kono…"

Three hits and a blip sounded on the machine, then another and another. Everything passed in a blur, wheels were unlocked and Kono was rushed from the room toward the elevators, leaving Chin staring when the doors closed behind them. "Sir, are you with Ms. Kalakaua?"

It took Chin a moment to register he was being spoken to; he'd just watched his cousin die and be brought back only to be whisked away. "What?" He looked at the white-coat clad man beside him; he actually didn't look much older than Kono and Chin wonder if he was really a doctor.

"Are you with Ms. Kalakaua?" the young asked again.

"I'm her cousin, please how is she doing? What happened in there? Is she all right?" Kelly needed to know. Deep down he knew it was bad, but he needed to know how bad and he needed to know Kono was going to be okay.

"I'm Dr. Adams; Ms. Kalakaua lost a lot of blood, which is what caused what you just witnessed. Her bullet wound is in her upper right chest, there is concern as to whether it nicked her lung since we detected decreased breath sounds in the upper right lung. She's been taken up to surgery to remove the bullet and make sure any damage that it caused is addressed. I can only tell you that we are hopeful, but this is a very serious situation, the surgeon will be able to give you a better prognosis once the operation is complete. I'm sorry I wish I could tell you more." The young man watched the emotions play in Chin's eyes. "Surgery is on the forth floor."

Chin could only nod, words unable to form as he took in what was wrong with Kono, trying to process what he'd seen as he slowly made his way toward the elevators silently praying he wasn't about to loose what he had left of his family.

50505050505050

Steve didn't say a word as Danny literally had to physically lead him out of the bank. It unnerved Williams the amount of tension he could feel just in his friends arm, it concerned him that if Steve was truly wound that tight what would happen when that tension finally snapped. Last time McGarrett was this stressed, this wound he'd ran off and gotten himself framed for killing Governor Jameson. Danny knew he needed to do a better job of keeping an eye on his partner than last time, he didn't think the new Governor was willing to give Steve too many chances.

"They took her to Hawaii Medical." Lori said, approaching the two men. She'd only been with the team a few weeks, knew the tensions among them concerning the young woman that had just been led away in an ambulance. She'd tried to get a read on the three men she was forced into working with, Danny being the friendlier of the three, Chin quiet and not forthcoming with anything other than business, but Steve was the one she'd wanted to figure out and all she'd gather from him so far was he seemed distant. From the little she'd seen him interact with Danny she knew there was a close partnership and trust there, but she'd even noticed he appeared withdrawn even from him and according to what she'd picked up for other cops and comments Williams had made, before Steve's arrest the two men were always working together, always extremely close, but over the last weeks she hadn't seen that and wondered why.

Yet now, watching them coming toward her, Danny's arm lightly holding onto Steve's she saw something she never expected, emptiness. She honestly had to say the expression on Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett's face was empty, like a wall had dropped and she was looking at a wax impression of the man she'd been working with and even as someone who didn't really know him, she knew that look was terribly wrong. Lori then looked at Danny who nodded at her announcement of where Kono had been taken and she saw a deep concern, but also the slightest look of fear in the blond man's blue eyes. Obviously something was going on only the two men knew about and from Danny's look it wasn't good.

"Okay, Lori, can you hang around here, make sure our end is covered and call me as soon as the scene is wrapped up?" Danny ran a free hand through his hair, glancing at Steve as he released his partner's arm, noticing his friend's gaze seeming to search the crowded street in front of the bank.

Weston nodded, "Sure, then I'll head back to the office and get started on the paperwork and make sure the Governor is brought up to speed on what was going on." She paused a moment, hesitant to ask the next question since she didn't know Kono very well, but could tell the men on Five-0 cared about the woman very much. "Is Kono going to be okay? I mean it looked…" She trailed off when she saw Williams glance toward Steve.

"We don't know, but I know the doc's will do there best, Chin will make sure of that." Danny said softly.

In the next instant Danny saw Steve move off quickly across the lot, his body still tense, his shoulder's ridged, his walk purposeful as Williams noticed what or who McGarrett had zeroed in on. "Shit… Steve…stop…" Danny took off after his friend only for Steve's pace to increase until he'd reached his target.

"You son of a bitch!" Steve yelled as his fist landed against the jaw of Detective Fryer.


	3. Chapter 3

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 3

_A/N: Again WOW! Huge thanks for all the wonderful reviews and alerts, you guys are amazing!-Montez_

"STEVE!" Danny yelled as he grabbed for his best friends arm, now raised to take another swing at the IA officer.

"You didn't have the guts to come after me, you had to go after who you saw as the weakest link and that's were you screwed up!" Steve yelled as he fought against Danny's hold, who'd also been joined by a couple other HPD officers, which Williams was grateful for since he knew if Steve really got going there would be no way in hell he could stop his partner from killing Fryer. "Why didn't you come after me!" Steve yelled again, still struggling to get free.

Fryer moved in close, seeming to not have any self-preservation instincts as he trusted the men holding McGarrett could actually hold him. The older man's taking on a cold tone. "You're the golden boy around here, once Demming cleared you of Jameson's murder you were back to being untouchable and no one, NO ONE would believe you were dirty, especially since the money had technically been returned. Williams hadn't been here long enough and Kelly…" Fryer's disgusted laugh nearly had Danny letting Steve go, "The dirty cop card had already been played on him and no matter what anyone says that label will always be there, but Kono was easy, cousins with a disgraced cop accused of theft and corruption it was too easy and all it took was me threatening all of you and seriously, who didn't see the possibility coming, after all she is related to Kelly, it was only a matter of time."

The man apparently had a death wish and in that instant Danny felt something snap in Steve that even he and two officers could not restrain. Williams found himself shoved to the ground, the other two officers nearly landing on top of each other as Steve broke free and lunged for Fryer. The sound of the older man's body impacting the car he was standing near made Danny wince, knowing that force alone could have seriously injured the man.

"STEVE STOP!" Danny yelled, getting himself to his feet grabbing for his friend's hands as he saw them go toward Fryer's throat, this is what Steve was trained for, to kill quickly and efficiently and that is what scared Danny. This would be McGarrett's ultimate downfall, especially with a parking lot full of HPD for witnesses, despite what everyone thought of IA.

This time several officers, the number alluding Danny, grabbed for the SEAL and before he knew what was happening they had Steve pinned against the SWAT van as one of the officers actually cuffed McGarrett. The feel of the metal around his wrist must have broken through the blinding rage that had engulfed him as his breathing increased, panic seeming to take over. Still struggling against the restraints that took him back weeks to that night in the governor's mansion Steve's eyes finally met his partners, "Danny…"

Williams hated the sound of his name as if came out of his friend, he saw the rage quickly replaced by panic as the cuffs were fastened. Once the other officers moved away Danny come in close, looking Steve in the eyes. "You need to calm down…damn it Steve what were you thinking? What are you thinking? It's like…I don't know you anymore, I don't know what's going on in that thick skull of yours. Are you trying to get yourself arrested again, how'd that work for ya last time?" Danny turned his rant fading as he was at a loss.

"Danny, please get them off me…" McGarrett's voice almost sounded child-like in it's pleading, so sharply different from the tone he'd heard only moments ago. When Danny looked at him he saw a fear that he'd only seen once before, it was strange to see fear in Steve's eyes, the man wasn't afraid of anything but it appeared being in handcuffs terrified the man on an almost irrational level.

"I can't until you calm down…" Glancing over his shoulder Danny could see EMT's checking on Fryer who was rubbing his throat sending death glares towards them. "Just sit." Danny helped his friend into a sitting position next to the van, he then knelt next to him, "Look at me Steve," Williams waited until Steve looked up, "This isn't helping anyone, especially Kono now damn it I don't know what's going on in your head, but you better be getting it out of your ass or you are going to land yourself back in jail if Fryer wants to push this. Just take a couple minutes and breathe."

Danny watched Steve lean his head back against the truck, closing his eyes. The last few weeks hadn't been kind to any of them, but Steve especially and it was starting to show. A quick pat on his friend's shoulder and Danny stood, making his way toward Fryer. "He's right, you are a son of a bitch, you egged him on on purpose. Is this all just a game to you?"

Fryer stood up, wavering slightly, which Danny inwardly had to chuckle at, "This has never been a game, but McGarrett needs to learn he's not the only game in town, the rest of us can't always run to the governor when something goes wrong. He's not a cop Williams, you are, how the hell do you deal with his arrogance at thinking he does no wrong? Yes, I know he was involved in the missing money, but with it all technically still accounted for, same serial numbers or not, I knew I couldn't go after him, hell when that arrest warrant was issued I saw my chance to move in and drag your team down and Kalakaua was nearly handed to me on a silver platter when the old woman came in and ID'd her. Delano has evaded everything we've tried to get him on, with Kono only being a cop a year, then being in Five-0, it was too much to resist even for Delano and yes I could have drug you all in, gone through the motions but I knew in the end it wouldn't stick, but with her, it was easy and Delano bought it, that's what I wanted and that's what I got." Fryer stood straighter as he expected another assault to come at him, despite Williams' seemingly calmer demeanor, Fryer knew he was stoking a fire and had just thrown gasoline on it.

It was a cold smile that met Fryer's hate-filled look. "You really have no idea what you did do you? You are very lucky that man…" Danny pointed toward Steve, still, surprisingly, seated on the ground, an HPD officer hovering nearby, "Didn't kill you, hell you are lucky I didn't let him. You have no idea what this has been like for any of us, because of you Kono pushed us all away, had us thinking she was slipping away from us. Do you know what it did to us to have to arrest her earlier, what it did to Steve? No you don't, because you are a heartless bastard who's only focus is your own revenge in what was done to you by your former partner and you didn't care what you had to do or who you had to drag down to get that job done."

"Just like McGarrett." Fryer threw in as Danny paused to take a breath, which now caught in his throat. Fryer shook his head, nodding toward Steve, "Let him go, I'm not pressing any charges and Williams, the next time you think you can lecture me on the tactics I use to bring down the bad guys, you better look over your shoulder and think about what Five-0 does, what McGarrett does, we are not that different." Without another word Fryer turned and walked away.

Danny stood, stunned for a second as Fryer's words settled in his mind and he didn't like what it was putting together from it all. Deciding he needed to focus on finding out how Kono was and getting Steve as far away from this scene as possible, Williams decided he'd pick apart Fryer's words later, right now he had better things to do than let that asshole continue to screw around with his friends.

McGarrett's eyes popped open when he felt hands lean him forward, he saw Danny leaning behind him, the sound of the lock being released and the cuffs slipping off allowed Steve to take a breath, trying to chase away the panic that had taken hold of the dark-haired man. Quickly Steve stood, almost stumbling back into the van as he rubbed his wrist, glancing down he could now see Kono's dried blood still on his hands. For a minute he couldn't breathe again, the images of Kono laying on the floor of the bank, her blood coating his hands as he tried to stop the bleeding, he barely heard Danny's voice, "Come on, let's go check on Kono."

Williams reached for Steve only for the SEAL to step back. "I…ca…I'll catch up." Steve said quietly.

"Oh no no no my friend, the last time I left you alone after something even close to this you ended up in jail. You just barely missed returning to that fine establishment just moments ago, so sorry if 'I'll catch up' isn't setting well with me." Danny crossed his arms, daring Steve to argue.

Danny truly became worried as he saw his friend's emotions quickly change again, anger flashing in the dark-blue eyes of his partner, "Damn it Danny I don't need a babysitter, I said I'll catch up, now leave it alone." The second the harsh word escaped it added to the guilt Steve was already carrying and it wasn't fair to take it out on Danny, but he needed to get away from everything. He needed to think and right now that was impossible, he needed to regroup and pushing Danny away was the only way he could do that.

If Danny had been anyone else, the tone, stance and forward motion of his partner would have scared the shit out of him, but he knew anger was Steve's retreat position when scared and upset. So with all the calm of a parent talking to a child about to throw the worlds worst temper tantrum Danny spoke sternly, but calmly. "I will give you one hour. If I do not see you at the hospital or hear from you in that hour I will put an APB out on you and even call your Navy buddy to start an all out search." Danny paused, then looked pleadingly at his friend, his emotions not being missed by Steve, "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

A hint of the old Steve, the one not seen since Jameson's death, finally showed through for a moment, "I can't promise that." a shadow of the normal smart-ass smirk flashed a second then it was gone as Danny watched McGarrett turn and make his way through the crowd of officers, disappearing around the corner of the bank.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Danny whispered, turning to head toward the Camaro and the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 4  
Disclaimer: see chapter one

Chin didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the waiting room, it seemed like hours but he knew it was less than one. He could not get the image of Kono's body arching under the current the emergency room doctor applied to restart her heart, that image was forever burned into his mind. His mind then started to play all the memories of Kono growing up, he was already a teenager when she was born, but unlike most teens his age instead of shunning the responsibility of taking care of a younger relative he relished it. For some reason that little brown-eyed girl pulled him in and from the moment his aunt had allowed him to hold Kono he knew it was his responsibility to protect her, especially since she didn't have any brothers.

He was the first to get her on a surf board as soon as she could walk, but it was her natural talent that carried her into the pros and he'd been right behind her the whole way. Taking her to all her meets on the islands, keeping in constant phone contact when championships took her elsewhere. He was the first phone call she'd made after her career ending accident; he never left her side through her recovery. Then his IA investigation turned his life upside down, his own family turned on him, even the uncle he was protecting shunned him, but Kono never did. She stood beside him as the family tried to convince her he was no good, that he had disgraced the family, but she never believed any of it, she never turned her back on him.

But now sitting in the cold-stark waiting room he felt he was losing her and he didn't know what to do. "Chin?" Kelly looked up to see Danny jogging down the hallway toward him. "How is she?"

Danny stopped next to his friend and took in the devastated look in the older man's eyes. "She's been in surgery for forty-five minutes…" Kelly paused, rubbing his hands over his face as he leaned forward, elbow on his knees, head in his hands. Blowing out a deep-breath his voice barely a whisper, "Her heart stopped in the ER."

Williams wasn't sure he'd heard right, "What?"

Chin leaned back, head against the wall. "Her heart stopped, she lost so much blood, they think the bullet nicked her lung, they don't…God, they don't know, I don't know." Kelly looked at Danny, "What am I going to do if I lose her?"

Danny wasn't sure what to say at the absolute fear he saw on Chin's normally calm and peaceful face. "She's strong, she'll fight we just have to hold on to that." The words sounded lame even to Danny's ears, but what else could he say.

"How did I not see this? How did I not see she was being used? I failed her and now…" Chin rubbed his hands roughly over his face.

"We all failed her." Chin quickly turned and looked at Danny, "I didn't push, I tried to give her space, I tried calling at least once a week, but after that first week she wouldn't answer. I knew you were trying to stay in contact with her and I figured that was enough, I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"She's as stubborn as they come, she kept pushing me away too, but I couldn't back off. She never backed off when IA tore my life apart. I knew she was getting into something bad, but I didn't know how bad. I had no clue she was a plant and that we were being used to keep her in line. That son of bitch Fryer was too much of a coward to come after us so he went after her, I wasn't there to protect her and now…" Again Chin's voice faded.

"That's what Steve said, just before he tried to kill him." Danny mumbled from his seat next to Chin.

"What?" Now it was Chin's turn at being unsure he'd heard correctly.

"Steve punched that bastard after calling him an SOB, took three of us to restrain him. Then Fryer just wouldn't shut up and pushed one too many buttons, me and two officers found ourselves on our asses when Steve lunged for Fryer again. I don't know how many of us it took to pull him off; he didn't stop fighting until one of the HPD officers handcuffed him." Danny replayed what had happened in his mind.

"He was handcuffed?" Danny noted a strange tone to Chin's voice, almost a panic.

"Yeah, why? I didn't like it either, but it was the only way we could get him under control." Williams was perplexed now.

"I didn't know until that night at the Governor's mansion, on the way to headquarters Steve started to hyperventilate, he almost passed out on us. We had to pull over and un-cuff him to getting him laid out in the back seat, almost as soon as the cuffs were removed he started to calm down. Once he calmed enough I told him we needed to put them back on, Danny he nearly begged me to not do it. I finally convinced him to let me cuff him in the front as long as he didn't try anything. Once we started moving again, he became quiet, I looked back and his eyes were closed and he was mumbling something I couldn't hear." Chin looked at Danny, knowing the younger man didn't know any of this. "Once we reached the station it took a minute for him to respond to me, it was like he'd zoned out on me. He again begged to not be cuffed, but I told him he had to be, but if he promised not to try anything I'd arrange for him to only be cuffed in the front, he agreed but anytime he was there'd be panic in his eyes, then he'd withdraw into himself. He'd follow basic orders, he never tried anything but he was almost always mumbling something under his breath."

"That would explain his reaction. Do you know what that's about?" Danny started to worry again about his partner, making a mental note to try and get his friend to open up about that little episode.

"Once everything started I really didn't think much about it, didn't ask about it. I had other things on my mind." Chin took a deep breath, glancing at the clock on the wall and the silver doors that lead to the operating theater. "Where is Steve?"

This time Danny rubbed his hand across his face, "Honestly, I don't know." Chin's shocked expression had Williams continuing. "He said he'd catch up, he's not dealing with all this too well, hell none of us are. You know how he gets when he doesn't have control of the situation and he's blaming himself for what happened. I told him I better hear from him within the hour, because the last time I saw him like this, you arrested him just hour later." Danny rose to his feet, "I'm gonna go get us some coffee, do you want anything?"

"Everything to go back to the way it was." Chin sounded unusually lost at that statement as his eyes again drifted toward the doors.

"Me too babe, me too." Danny reached out, squeezing Chin's shoulder before he headed down the hall.

Danny had just exited the cafeteria with two cups of coffee in hand when his phone rang. Knowing who it was he sat the coffee down and answered, "Where are you?"

"I'm not sure. How's Kono doing?" Steve's voice sounded hollow, empty and that sent Danny's worry level up another notch.

"Wait, what do you mean you don't know? Are you okay?" Danny was again kicking himself for letting his crazy partner go off on his own.

"Look Danny, contrary to what you think I can take care of myself, I've been dropped into the middle of jungles and been able to find my way out, Oahu isn't a problem. Now how is Kono?" Steve's voice got agitated.

"She's still in surgery." Danny was not about to tell his partner that Kono's heart had stopped in the ER. "We don't know anything yet. You need to be here."

Danny could hear Steve blow out a deep breath, "I can't, I…I've got to go Danny, I'll call you later."

"What? No, wait, Steve?" Williams called, not liking the sound of Steve's voice as all he was met with was a dial tone. All his senses were yelling that Steve was sinking further, but the man had made a point, he could take care of himself and right now Chin needed someone here with him, Steve would have to wait.

_A/N: Just a quick note, Steve's issue with the handcuffs will be addressed in a follow-up one-shot after this story if anyone is wondering. It was just something I threw out there for later. Hope ya don't mind. Thanks-Montez_


	5. Chapter 5

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 5  
Disclaimer: See chapter one

_A/N: Warning with this chapter, contains a few very dark moments with regards to Steve. I'm of the belief that with his very intense need to protect his friends and family(Okay I'm using how Steve was last season, but this is my reasoning for the way he's been this season, hope that makes sense) and the loss and near losses that have come about, but we know he is not good with emotional dealing so I feel this might be how his thinking would work at this point. I do not wish to offend anyone as I myself have dealt with issues of this nature in my life and wish I could have/had the support system that I believe Steve has. Traveling into dark places alone is beyond frightening and there have been times finding any light at the end of the perverbial tunnel can be very difficult. I encourage anyone who is dealing with issues or knows someone whom you believe may be to seek help or be that help for someone else. Believe me sometimes it is the difference between life and death. Okay sorry for going so heavy for a moment. Thank you all again for reading, reviewing and alerting-Montez_

Instinctually Steve knew where he was, but as he walked along the sidewalk he really wasn't exactly sure logistically. He did as Danny had requested and called within the hour, they still didn't know how Kono was, but Steve could tell his partner wasn't telling him something and that tore at Steve's soul. McGarrett's mind wouldn't let the image of Kono's bleeding body leave him and his anger grew again. He wasn't angry at Kono, God how could he be? It was his fault she was where she was just as sure as if he'd pulled the trigger himself.

When he had her in interrogation all he could see as she was sitting there was a small, scared girl, not the strong, confident woman he'd come to know over the last year. He unwittingly projected his anger toward her, demanding to know what she was into. When she had refused to tell him, refused to look him in the eye he felt a moment where he wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she told him what was going on. That's when Chin had entered the room, as Steve stood there listening to Kelly's calm voice, pleading with his cousin, telling her no matter what he was there for her, Steve's anger continued to grow, anger at himself for not saying those words, for not telling Kono that they were there for her, he was there for her. He'd failed to protect her and now she could be dying because of it.

Steve continued to walk, not really noticing the looks he was getting from the people on the streets, in passing cars. He was still wearing his Kevlar vest, still had his gun strapped to his leg, still had Kono's dried blood on his hands and pants.

His instincts lead him home; he bypassed the house, walking along the side toward the back, the sound of the surf, the smell of the salt air filling his senses. Walking across the grass he pulled at the Velcro fasteners, dropping the vest midway through the yard. Absently reaching down he undid the straps that held his leg holster on, dropping it near the two chairs that sat on the beach, pulling his shirt off, discarding it at the waters edge as he waded into the water, effortlessly diving under an incoming wave.

He needed to think, to clear his head, to figure out his next move. He'd failed so many people in his life he didn't know if he could live with another loss caused by his lack of judgment, his inability to see what was right in front of him. He pushed his arms forward, pulling his body through the water, not thinking of the distance he was covering, or the tenseness his muscles were starting to feel, he needed to clear his mind and he would swim until that happened.

Steve didn't know how long he'd been in the water, hell he'd spent hours in the water during his SEAL training; he had pushed his body to the breaking point and beyond. He paused in his forward strokes, treading in place as he bobbed in the waves. Looking back toward the beach his home was almost a pinprick on the horizon, he'd never swam this far before, at least not recreationally. He let the last weeks, the last year play through his head as he moved his arms and legs to stay afloat.

He thought of all that had happened to those closest too him, and the more he thought about it the more he realized he seemed to be the common denominator in the trials his team had gone through, hell it had been his fault his own sister was kidnapped and nearly died. If he would have just left the island after burying his father Danny would still be with HPD, would have probably been able to save his old partner Mecca and never would have had to deal with Rachel's threat to take Grace from him. Chin would still be a security guard around the Missouri, not sitting in the hospital worrying whether Kono was going to make it through surgery. And Kono, Kono would be a rookie beat cop dealing with your everyday criminals instead of the gun-runners and human-traffickers Five-0 had come up against and none of them would have ever been on Wo Fat's radar.

For a moment Steve's mind went completely blank, he felt his body stop moving as he drew in a breath and let himself sink below the surface of the water. He closed his eyes as he let his body sink, the weight of his cargo pants and boots pulling him further, he could hold his breath for an insane amount of time, but even he had a limit and he wondered just how far he'd sink before he reached it. A part of him welcomed the darkness he was allowing his body to sink into, he knew just how easy it would be to let go. He was coming to a point where he felt everyone would be better without him. Wo Fat had left the island, if he was gone there would be no reason for the man to return and put his team in danger again, it would all end.

"Do you really think things would be better without you? What are you thinking? Are you thinking? You run out on us and it will all be for nothing. We are all responsible for what happened and we will all get past it, now open your damn eyes and get your crazy ass back to the beach before you really do drown." Danny's voice had sounded so real, like he was right there ranting at him in the water.

When Steve opened his eyes black dots were already floating in his vision, he looked up and could see the light of the surface several feet above him, he needed to push now or he wouldn't have the oxygen left to do it and push he did. McGarrett's vision tunneled as he broke the surface of the water, dragging in several ragged breaths, his body felt heavy as he started to tread water again, he was suddenly so tired. He looked across the waves and could just make out his house in the fading light. Pushing past that limit he knew his body could endure he slowly started to make his way to shore.

505050505050

They'd been sitting in the waiting room for three and a half hours and two coffee runs. Chin had remained seated the whole time, his gaze going from the doors to the clock and back. Danny had alternated between sitting and pacing. Lori had called an hour ago, letting Danny know the scene was wrapped up and she was back at headquarters. He'd told her there was no news on Kono yet and ended the call. He knew his phone would beep if another call tried to come through but he wanted to keep his line open for when Steve called again. The sound of his partner's voice sounded so wrong, even in his burst of anger it sounded wrong and that nagging feeling that something wasn't right with his best friend would not leave him.

Yet Danny knew the only thing that would probably help Steve was word on Kono, so Williams stayed with Chin and waited. It was getting dark outside, normally sunsets on the island were beautiful, though Danny still would never admit it, but tonight's held no interest. The only thing that would make things better would be Kono being okay.

Another ten minutes passed before a scrub-clad individual entered the waiting room. Chin had spotted the woman as she exited the silver doors and stood immediately, "How is she?" His voice drawing Danny's attention as he crossed the room to stand next to his friend.

"I'm Dr. Brewer, please have a seat." She motioned for the two men to sit as she wearily sat opposite them. "Ms. Kalakaua made it through surgery," The doctor noticed both men release held breaths before she continued; "though we did have a few problems keeping her blood pressure up with the amount of blood she lost. We were able to remove the bullet, most of the damage was to muscle, she was very lucky that the bullet missed any of the major arteries leading to the heart. It did however, nick the upper part of her right lung, it didn't enter the lung which kept it from collapsing, we currently have her on a ventilator, but hope to remove it in the next couple hours, it's mainly precautionary as we keep a close eye on her lung in recovery. We are continuing to push units of blood, antibiotics and fluids. We will gauge her pain level once she starts to wake from the light sedation we are keeping her in until we remove the breathing tube, then we will work on managing that, but over all Ms. Kalakaua is a very lucky woman. With some time and rest she should make a full recovery."

Danny reached over and patted Chin's back as the older man ran both hands over his face, smiling toward his haole friend. "She's gonna be okay." he whispered.

"Yes she is." Danny smiled back, the vice around his chest easing some now that he knew Kono was going to be okay.

Chin looked back at the doctor, "When can I see her?"

"I'll let you both come back to recovery for a few minutes, then once she's moved to ICU I'll arrange it so you can stay with her, as long as you stay out of the nurse's way." Dr. Brewer smiled at the two men as she stood, Chin and Danny following.

Silently she led them through the silver doors and off to the right, into the recovery ward. She paused at a curtained area, "Like I said the ventilator is precautionary and should be removed before she's transferred to ICU. I only expect her to be there no more than twelve hours before she is moved to a regular room. I'll give you both a few minutes with her." Dr. Brewer moved away, allowing Chin and Danny to enter.

Chin moved forward, coming to a stop next to Kono's bed, she looked so pale and fragile lying amongst the wires and tubes of the medical equipment. "Hey, li'ili'I kaukini…" Kelly spoke softly, laying one hand on the injured woman's head, the other gently taking her hand, "you're gonna be okay, you hear me. You rest now and I'll be right here when you wake up, just like I promised. I'm not leaving you." He reached down and placed a kiss on Kono's forehead, absently running his hand over her hair.

Danny had stepped up to the other side of the bed. The woman lying their looked very little like the woman who he'd joke about being afraid of because she could kick his ass. His breath hitched for a moment as she reminded him of Grace, she looked so small and vulnerable and the father in him wanted nothing more than to protect her from harm. That feeling led again to the feeling of guilt for not having done just that. He hadn't been there for her and now she was here, and he made a promise to himself to never, ever let that happen again. "Hey kid, guess I can't call you a rookie anymore, you handled all this crap like a pro. I'll save my lecture on going undercover without back-up for when you're better, but you really should have known that with all the grief I give Steve. But hey, the doc says you are getting better, so you rest and work your way back to us, okay." Williams squeezed Kono's other hand; mindful of the IV's attached to the back.

There were a few minutes of silence as both men listened to the machine breathing for Kono, but both felt an overwhelming relief that she was indeed going to be okay. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but your time is up." A young nurse stepped into the curtained area, checking Kono's vitals.

"Please, I need to stay with her." Chin asked quietly.

The young woman regarded him a moment, "I'll ask the doctor." within a minute the nurse returned. "You'll be allowed to stay as long as you give us room to work."

"Maholo." Chin said softly as he returned his attention to Kono.

Danny came around the bed, placing his hand again on Chin's shoulder. "I'll be back soon, I'm gonna go track Steve down, let him know Kono's going to be okay." A nod was Williams only response from Kelly before Danny quietly slipped from the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 6  
Disclaimer: See chapter one

As soon as Danny exited the recovery ward he pulled his phone out and pressed the speed dial for Steve's. It unnerved him when it went to voicemail, "Steven give me a call when you get this, we've got news on Kono. She's going to be okay and you need to be here."

Walking toward the elevators he paused, pressing the number for the office on the off chance McGarrett had headed there. "Lori Weston, Five-0" Lori answered the ringing phone.

"Hey, it's Danny." Williams responded only to be interrupted by Lori.

"Danny, is there any word on Kono?" Though she'd never worked with the young woman, she was still concerned.

"Yeah, I just left Chin with her in recovery. Doc says with time she should make a full recovery." The blond man replied.

"Oh that's good news, did you need something, IA and HPD took over the case, not leaving me much to do but go over some old files to see if Delano's case interacted with any we have." Weston became all business.

"Is Steve there with you?" Danny moved through the hospital and exited the front doors heading toward the Camaro.

He heard the woman's voice take on a curious tone, "No, isn't he with you?"

"No, look don't worry about it, I'm going to look for him now. If he shows up there tell him to call, okay?" Climbing into the car he paused before starting it.

"Yeah, sure, everything okay?" Lori remembered what had happened back at the bank, she had actually been terrified a moment when Steve had gotten away from Danny and the two officers and went after Fryer. She recalled him leaving the scene on foot, but Danny had never told her where Steve was going so she figured it wasn't any of her business at the time.

"Yes, everything's fine, Steve's just being Steve. I'll call you later." Hanging up Danny started the car and headed to the first place he intended to look, Steve's home.

Night had settled over the island as Danny pulled into McGarrett's driveway. The fact the truck wasn't there didn't surprise him, it was back at headquarters since Steve had driven Danny's car to the bank, but what he did find strange was that there were no lights on inside the house. Exiting the vehicle Williams made his way to the front door, expecting to find it unlocked as usual, but was shocked when the handle didn't budge. Glancing inside the side window Danny could see the small flashing of the security system, still activated; telling him Steve wasn't inside the house. "Okay man where are you?"

Backing up Danny looked around the front of the property, nothing seemed out of place, no Super SEAL sitting in the shadows of the porch. He walked to the side of the house, pulling the small flashlight he carried from his pocket since the lack of outside lighting and the tree cover prevented any illumination of the pathway down the side. "Probably sitting back here on the damn beach, ignoring my calls, wallowing in self-pity or something. Damn stubborn guilty streak, you need to get past it and get up to the hospital." Williams mumbled as he made his way across the back porch.

He stopped when a dark object laying in the yard caught his attention; nearing the object he discovered it was Steve's tactical vest. "What the hell?" Looking around he slowly moved toward the two chairs that sat just at the edge where the grass and sand met, there he found Steve's discarded leg holster, gun still inside. "What are you thinking leaving a loaded gun on the beach and where…" Danny's words cut off as he shined the flashlight across the small expanse of beach before him, his light catching the last thing he wanted to see.

"Steve!" He yelled as he covered the last few yards to the water's edge, dropping next to his partner who was lying motionless on his back, the waves coming in around him. "Damn it what did you do? I told you not to do anything stupid." Danny said as he reached to check his friend for a pulse, "Thank God…" He whispered as he patted Steve's face, "Come on man, open your eyes for me, hey Steve!" another light slap and the man in the surf still didn't respond.

Danny quickly ran the flashlight over his friend, checking for any visible injuries. Other than the fact Steve was shirtless, soaking wet, and shaking slightly his partner appeared uninjured, except for the fact he was unconscious and couldn't be roused. "Okay you leave me no choice but to call an ambulance to take your ass to the hospital." Usually that threat alone was enough to get his partner to react, to at least mumble he was fine, but not this time and that worried Danny even more.

Deciding he needed to try and at least get Steve out of the surf he pulled him closer to the grass, then raced across the yard, quickly finding the security system key pad next to the back door, punching in the code he used the key he'd insisted Steve give him for emergencies, like maybe getting tasered in his own home by robbers, he then moved quickly to the downstairs closest retrieving a couple blankets. Making his way back to the beach, he laid them over his still unconscious friend and pulled out his phone, dialing 911.

"Yes this is Detective Danny Williams with Five-0, I need an ambulance at 2727 Piikoi Street, behind the house on the beach, I've got an officer down with unknown injuries. Yes, go ahead and send a uniform car, just in case, but I don't believe anyone else was involved." Danny ended the phone call, reaching over to check Steve's pulse again, it was a little quicker than normal, his breathing slightly labored, but at least it was still there. "You my friend will most definitely be the death of me. Looks like to me you went swimming and barely made it back, how far did you go you idiot? Why do you do this? You and me, my friend are going to have a long talk when you wake up, do you hear me?" Williams had kept his hand on Steve's chest, making sure his friend continued to keep breathing. He glanced toward the walkway as HPD and the ambulance pulled in the drive, still worried when Steve had yet to move a muscle.

The ride to the hospital was thankfully uneventful considering the day they'd already had, but it didn't stop Danny's worry at the pale complexion of his partner's features nor his continued stillness. Upon inspection once McGarrett was loaded into the ambulance Steve didn't show any signs of outward injuries, which Danny was grateful for, but until they arrived at the hospital they really didn't know what was wrong with the unconscious man.

Williams insisted he remain in the treatment room with his friend as blood work and x-rays were ordered. He decided to wait before going upstairs to inform Chin that Steve was now also a patient of the hospital until he knew what was wrong. It was almost an hour before a very young looking doctor asked to speak to Danny in the hallway outside the cubicle Steve was in.

"Detective Williams, I'm Dr. Adams. We've gotten the results back for Commander McGarrett's test and it appears he's suffering from extreme exhaustion and dehydration as well as mild shock. There is also a little concern because his x-rays showed water in his lungs; I understand you found him on the beach behind his home?" The young doctor paused for Danny to answer.

"Yeah, but look it's not unusually for him to go for swims, grant it he usually wears trunks, but today hasn't been a usual day and sometimes he swims to clear his head. I don't know how long he was out or how long he'd been on the beach before I found him, it had been a few hours since I'd talked to him. The water in his lungs, is it going to become a problem? Do you know when he might wake up?" Danny knew water in a persons lungs could set up as pneumonia if not watched carefully and the continued fact Steve hadn't woken up was still in the forefront of Danny's mind.

"I'm hoping not, it doesn't appear to be much and the body usually can clear it out on its own. I am starting antibiotics as a precaution; he will be kept at least overnight, perhaps longer if needed. Right now all his vitals are looking good, it just appears he pushed himself too far and his body decided to shutdown because of it, rest is the best thing for him right now. However if he doesn't show signs of waking in the next few hours we will have to reevaluate the situation. We are getting ready to move him upstairs to a room; it will be about thirty minutes before he will be settled." Dr. Adams concluded.

"I'm staying with him once he's moved." Danny stated, the doctor nodding in understanding. "Do you know the room number yet? I have something to take care of.""Room 312, like I said it will be about a half an hour." The doctor replied.

Running his hand through his already disheveled hair, Williams nodded, "Okay, thanks doc, for everything." The young doctor smiled then turned, heading toward the nearby nurses desk. Danny reentered his partner's room, "Looks like you got yourself booked into one of the suits of Hawaii Medical partner." Williams looked at his friend, there had been too many times lately that Steve had looked broken and vulnerable and Danny didn't like it one bit. Reaching out, squeezing his friend's arm the Jersey native spoke again, "I'm going to check on Kono and I'll meet you upstairs. Just rest now because we are going to have a very long talk when you wake up." Another squeeze and Danny exited the room, heading toward the elevators to talk to Chin.

Danny made his way up the ICU, a nurse directing him toward the glass-enclosed cubicle that held Kono. Entering he noticed Chin sitting right next to the bed, his hand holding onto the young woman's and thankfully the ventilator had been removed, replaced with an oxygen mask. Though her complexion was still pale, the absence of the tube down her throat reinforced the assurance that Kono was indeed on the road to recovery. "How's she doing?" Danny asked softly, stepping next to the bed.

Chin looked up, worry still clear on his face. "Her vitals are good; they started cutting back on the sedation once they moved her in here. They don't expect her to wake up for a few more hours though, but according to the doctor she's doing good." Kelly gave Kono's hand a gentle squeeze, "I know she needs the rest, but I just wish she'd wake up, if only for a minute."

Williams touched Kono's other hand, "She'll wake up soon, she won't want you to worry too long. She looks a lot better without that tube." Danny's voice was still uncharacteristically soft.

The older man nodded in response, he then glanced toward the door fully expecting Steve to be behind Danny. "Did you find Steve?" Kelly noticed a shift in Danny's posture as he stepped back from the bed. Giving one last look at the sleeping woman in the bed, Williams looked back at Chin, concern clear on his face. "What's wrong?"

Running a tired hand over his face Danny moved around, taking a seat on the rolling stool the doctors normally us. "Steve's just been admitted."Shock crossed Chin's face as he stared at Danny, "What? What happened?"

Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him Danny shook his head slightly, "Honestly I don't know exactly what happened. He didn't answer his phone when I called him after I left here, so I headed to his house. I found him unconscious on the beach. The doc downstairs said he's suffering from mild shock, exhaustion and dehydration, plus there's water in his lungs. I can only assume he went out for a swim and pushed himself too much, hell he was still dressed, boots on, he'd only taken his shirt off. He was blaming himself for what happened and with all he's been going through with finding his dad in that video with Wo Fat, I don't think his heads been in the right place. I'm really worried about him; this with Kono seems to have pushed him over the invisible edge he's been walking since Jameson's betrayal." Danny leaned back when he finished talking; finally feeling the exhaustion his own body was dealing with.

"Do you think we should call Joe?" Chin had noticed the closeness Steve shared with the older man; it was plain to Kelly that Joe had assumed a fatherly position in McGarrett's life.

"I don't know, maybe." Danny stood, looking back toward Kono. "Do you know when they might move her to a regular room?"

Chin's attention returned to his cousin, "They said if everything still looks good in six hours they'll transfer her. You going to stay with Steve?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, he's in 312. I'll give Joe a call, maybe he can help figure out what's going on in Steve's head." Danny returned to Kono's side. "Let me know when she wakes up, I'll try to make it up when she's moved." Another squeeze on the young woman's hand and Danny moved toward the door.

"Sure, keep me posted about Steve too." Chin replied again wishing everything would return to how things were before Jameson's death and before their world had seemed to fall apart at the seams. With a nod Danny left the room, headed toward Steve's.


	7. Chapter 7

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 7  
Disclaimer: See chapter one

Steve's mind was foggy as he struggled to open his eyes. He tried to concentrate on where he was, it taking a couple minutes for the sounds and smell to register, he was in the hospital. Now he was confused, he didn't know why he was in the hospital, he didn't remember getting hurt. Hell the last thing he clearly remembered was waiting outside the bank Frank Delano was in, Kono being a plant in his organization by IA.

Kono.

McGarrett's mind seemed to suddenly clear as the image of the young woman he'd promised to protect lay motionless on the floor, blood spilling from a gunshot wound, his hand's covered in her blood. He felt his heart rate increase along with his breathing, there had been so much blood. Then he remembered the blinding rage that overtake him at the sight of Fryer outside the bank, he remembered going after the man, then hands on him, pulling him back. Finally the feel of handcuffs encircling his wrists, restraining him, Danny's face floating in and out of his vision.

"Easy son, you need to calm down and open your eyes for me." A quiet, calm voice broke through the panic that was coursing through his body, his mind.

It took a minute before the voice registered, focusing what little energy he had Steve forced his eyes open. The image hovering in his line of sight took a moment to come into focus, "Joe?"

"Yeah, you sure have a knack for scaring the daylights out of your friends, you know that?" Joe's face held a hint of a relieved smile.

Steve's forehead knitted in confusion, turning his head, his eyes finally landed on the sleeping image of his best friend, stretched out on the small couch near the window. "Danny? Is he okay?" Steve turned back toward Joe.

"Worried about you. Do you remember what happened?" Joe squeezed Steve's shoulder slightly.

"Kono was working for IA, How is she? Is she okay? There was so much blood, I…" Steve's voice trailed off as again the image of Kono's lifeless body filled his mind.

"From what I understand they expect a full recovery from your young friend. She's already in a regular room with her cousin at her side." Joe responded, retaking the seat he'd occupied for the last few hours.

McGarrett seemed to visibly relax some at the news his young teammate was going to be okay. "What we really need to know is what happened to you." White motioned toward Danny's sleeping form, "When you didn't call him back or show up here, Danny started looking for you. Found you on the beach behind your place unconscious. According to the docs you're suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and mild shock. Yet the bigger concern was the water they found in your lungs. Care to tell me what happened?" White's expression left no room for excuses; it was a look Steve had seen many times before on the older man's face, especially when he was trying to get Steve to open up about something that was bothering him.

Pushing himself up some in the bed, he glanced at Danny then Joe, his gaze finally finding his hands lying in his lap. "Fryer was right, I'm just like him." McGarrett's voice sounded completely lost, a sound Joe had only heard one other time and that was a time he wished he couldn't remember, a time he knew Steve didn't want to remember.

"Fryer?" Joe wasn't familiar with that name.

"From IA, he's the son of a bitch that forced Kono into this mess by threatening to come after us. He was after his former partner Frank Delano." Steve felt his anger toward the IA officer increase again.

"I'm not following, how does what he did make you like him?" Joe was actually perplexed; he honestly didn't could see where Steve was headed with this line of thought.

Rubbing his eye's roughly, "Kono got shot because she'd been forced to go undercover, once she…once she was taken out by the medics I found Fryer and went after him…" Steve looked toward Danny, who he noticed was awake now, watching him. "Danny tried to pull me back…then he confronted Fryer, telling him that he was a heartless bastard who's only focus was revenge for what had been done against him and that he hadn't cared what he had to do or who he had to drag down to get the job done. Fryer's reply was he was just like me and you know what, he's right."

Danny's voice alerted Joe that the younger man was now awake, "How the hell did you make that connection? You are nothing like him."

Steve's gaze bore into Danny, Joe seemingly forgotten, "Damn it Danny, that's exactly what I've done. Going after Hesse after he killed my father was my soul focus, I nearly got you killed that first day. I put Kono, a kid who hadn't even graduated the academy yet in a potentially deadly situation to catch Sang Min to get information on Hesse. It was because of me Chin was nearly blown to pieces by Hesse because he wanted to see my reaction when he killed someone I was responsible for. Once we learned he worked for Wo Fat, I drug all of you down with me because I went after Jameson. How can you tell me I'm not just like Fryer?"

Williams stood making his way toward his friend, Joe moving back so Danny could stand next to the bed. Danny reached out and gripped his partner's arm, "You didn't make any of us do anything against our will. We knew what we were getting into and the biggest thing that sets you in a totally different league from Fryer is you care what happens to us. You take on the unnecessary guilt when things go wrong; you try to keep us from getting hurt even if you are putting yourself right in the crosshairs. You care." The Jersey native shook Steve's arm slightly, trying to drive his point home.

"If I care so damn much then what about Kono? I didn't push hard enough to get through to her, when IA pulled her in I should have done something, she was taking the heat for what I did. What kind of person does that make me that I let that happen? Because I didn't step up she was forced into this, because of me she was almost killed, so how the hell is that showing I care? I failed her; I failed Chin who trusted me when Kono joined the team. Damn it I failed you, I've pushed you away because I couldn't deal with all the crap that has landed on us these past weeks and just like with Kono I haven't been there for you with all the shit Rachel's done to you."

Steve's eyes left his partners, returning to his hands, his voice going hollow again. "I'm drowning in all this and I don't know…I can't…" McGarrett's tone was almost like it had been when Danny talked with him on the phone the day before and it sent a shiver down his spine.

Williams looked at Joe, clearly seeing the concern in the older man's eyes as well, something was wrong with Steve and they needed to figure out what. "You can't what Steve?" Danny asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer, his friend was breaking in front of him and he didn't know what to do about it.

Joe had noticed the cracks in the younger man's façade when he'd come to Hawaii to help clear Steve of the Governor's murder. Once McGarrett had seen his father on that video with Wo Fat, those fissures got a little bigger, as the weeks went on he knew his young friend wasn't dealing very well with what had happened to the youngest member of the Five-0 team, hell Joe had been with him a few times when Steve would go by the young woman's house, he knew it was tearing Steve up inside when Kono wouldn't answer the door or return his phone calls. Now apparently the shooting the day before had finally spilt one of the fissures wide open and now it seemed Steve was struggling to pull the pieces back together. "Steve?"

When McGarrett's eyes looked up meeting Danny's it nearly stole his breath, Steve's eyes were red-rimmed, there was a pleading in them, begging for Danny's help him, "It would have been so easy."

The empty, almost dead sound to Steve's voice scared Williams more than anything ever had. "What would have been so easy?" Again Williams feared the answer.

"I let myself sink." It was barely a whisper but it might as well been blasted through a bull-horn.

Danny felt his heart rate increase at the clear implications of those few words, "Steve…"

"I was in the water, I needed to think, but the more I did the more I realized what I had done to all of you. I should have never stayed. You all would have been better off if we'd never met…Danny…for a minute…I was ready…I wanted it all to stop, I was the reason you all had been hurt and I didn't want any of you hurt anymore." McGarrett looked at the disbelief in his partner's face as Danny realized what Steve was saying, glancing at Joe he saw overwhelming concern.

"So you're saying…" Danny looked at Joe as if confirming what he was about to say, he saw the same conclusion in the older man's face. Running his hand over his face Williams gripped the bedrail to keep himself from punching his friend for his stupidity. "You were willing to let yourself drown, literally? What the hell were you thinking? No wait you obviously weren't thinking!" Danny moved away from the bed, not sure he wouldn't hit his partner, "You thought…" Turning again Williams didn't know what to do with his hands as he motioned toward Steve, "You thought the best course of action was to take yourself out of the equation? Yes, now you are being a selfish bastard. You really think we'd be better off without you?"

"Danny…" Steve started but was cut off by his best friend.

"Don't Danny me, God how could you? I wouldn't do this damn job without you. Hell I don't think I could ever trust anyone to watch my back the way I trust you. Yes you run in without thinking sometimes, get me drawn into more firefights than I care to remember, but I know you will always lead me out of them, I would never be able to trust anyone to do that. I would never trust anyone with my daughter the way I trust you. And what about Chin and Kono? Do you think they'd be better off? Because of you hijacking Chin into this little funfest we call a task force you gave him back what he lost over that trumped up IA investigation into him. You never doubted him, never questioned him, nobody else would have ever done that." Finally Danny returned to the bedside, looking his friend intently in the face, daring Steve to break the gaze, which he didn't. "And what about Kono? What do you think it would have done to her when she woke up and realized you were gone? She was trying to protect us, protect you in all this, if you'd died it would have made her sacrifice for nothing, how do you think she would have felt?"

Joe moved over to the couch, not really sure what to think by the revelation he'd just heard. Steve was one of the strongest people he knew; he'd had to be to have ever become a SEAL. But White also knew every man had a breaking point and too many times the strongest of soldiers could shatter the easiest.

"I'm sorry Danny." Steve spoke quietly, taking in all his partner had just said, "I wasn't thinking."

"No kidding, but hell I should be use to that by now." Blowing out a deep breath Danny gave his friend a hint of a smirk.

"Yeah I guess you should." Williams noticed some of the spark that was Steve McGarrett return to the dark-haired man's eyes.

"Look, just promise me that you'll come to me or Joe if you start thinking that way again or I swear I'll never let you go swimming again. If we can't talk some sense into you I'm sure Joe knows a few ways to beat it into you." Danny glanced at the older man who gave him a small smile, letting him know he was right, that Joe would be there too.

"I know he does." Steve replied.

Finally taking the seat Joe had vacated next to the bed, Danny leaned back looking at his obviously tired partner, "Okay." He blew out.

"Okay" Steve replied as he leaned back in the bed, exhaustion seeming to take over after the emotional roller coaster he'd been through. "I need to see Kono."

"Rest first, then we'll get your doc in here, once he checks you over I'll take you up to see her." Danny watched Steve blink tiredly, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"You sure she's going to be okay?" McGarrett asked.

"Yes, she's going to be okay, now sleep." Danny reached up and gripped his partner's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before sitting back again, watching Steve's eyes finally close, his breath evening out.

Watching the two men interact Joe knew Steve would be okay, but he was glad now that he'd transferred to Hawaii, the young man in the bed needed a strong support system around him if he was going to get through this dark place he was in. White knew Steve had that, even without him. He'd seen it when he'd arrived to help initially, Steve's team had worked tirelessly to clear him of a crime they knew he didn't commit, even against the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Even without him there he knew Steve would get through this, but he was glad he was here now and with the help of Steve's friends they would not lose him.


	8. Chapter 8

Where's Kono?  
By Montez  
Chapter 8  
Disclaimer: See chapter one

_A/N: Well here it is, the final chapter of this little adventure. Again I want to thank everyone who took the time and followed this story to it's conclusion. Sorry if anyone was offended/disappointed by my version of Steve in this, it was just me view of why he's been the way they've showed him on the show. I believe the man feels thing very strongly, but has a very difficult time dealing with those feelings. If he's been OC in in my story, well that's just how I viewed him in it. For all of you who have read, reviewed and alerted my story I am very grateful for all the support, the number of positive reviews is what kept this going far longer than orginally planned, again Mahalo!-Montez_

Chin glanced up as the door to Kono's room opened, a very pale, exhausted looking Steve McGarrett was being pushed in in a wheelchair by Danny, an IV line attached to a pole on the back of the chair. "How's she doing?" The dark-haired man's tired voice asked.

Kelly glanced at Danny who gave a slight shrug before the older man's attention returned to McGarrett. "Better this morning, she woke up a couple times in the night. She was still a bit out of it, but she recognized me and could remember what happened. Doctor should be here in a couple hours."

Williams stopped Steve's chair on the opposite side of the bed from Chin, then moved back to a chair near the door. A couple minutes of silence settled over the room as McGarrett took in the sleeping form of the youngest member of Five-0. "Chin…" Steve said softly, waiting for Kelly to look across toward him, "I'm sorry."

"Steve…" Chin started but was stopped as Steve shook his head.

"No, just…I should have never let things go this far. I should have stepped in sooner with IA, I should have tried harder to find out what was going on, should have seen something was up. Especially when there was no real evidence against her, it was my fault and I should have dealt with it and I didn't and though you have absolutely no reason to trust me again or forgive me, I'm sorry." Steve gaze went back to Kono.

"You know," Chin started, "Contrary to what you think, you can't possibly know and see everything that is going on. I didn't see it and I've been in IA's crosshairs before. I know you've been trying to stay in contact with her, hell I've seen you leaving her place a couple times, knowing she wasn't answering you any more than she was answering me. We've all been dealing with a lot since Jameson's murder, things just snowballed and became out of our control before we realized it. We just need to move on from here." Kelly rose from his chair, moving across the room to knell next to Steve's chair. "I trust you and that will never change and there is nothing to forgive, there is enough blame for what happened to go around, we just need to learn from this and move on."

Steve gave him a small smile, "Yeah, we do." Looking toward Danny then back at Chin, McGarrett spoke quietly, "Can I sit with her a while?" Both men knew Steve wanted some time alone with Kono, to be able to get his mind around everything and maybe begin to forgive himself for what he saw as a catastrophic failure on his part.

Danny stood, coming over putting his hand on Chin's shoulder, "How about I buy you breakfast or at least another cup of coffee."

"That'd be great." Chin smiled tiredly. Squeezing Steve's shoulder before he left he quietly said, "It's gonna be all right." Maybe a few hours ago Kelly wouldn't have been so sure, but now, seeing his team, his ohana all in the same room, despite half the team being in need of recuperation he knew without a doubt everything would be all right. The older man made his way out the door Williams was holding open for him, leaving McGarrett alone with Kono.

Steve used his overtaxed arms to move his chair closer to Kono's bed; reaching through the rails he placed his larger hand over her small one, giving it a soft squeeze as he watched her sleep.

A little over an hour passed as Steve kept watch over Kono, his head would drop occasionally from the sheer exhaustion his own body was still feeling, both mentally and physically. At first he didn't noticed the slight movement on the bed before him, it wasn't until Kono's hand brushed against Steve's, where he'd left it on the bed next to her. He sat up straighter in the chair, his hand again reaching out to gently take hers, watching as she slowly blinked her eye's open. "Hey…" He said softly, a hint of a relieved smile crossing his face.

"Hey" Kono's reply almost a whisper.

Gently squeezing her hand he spoke again, "How you feeling?"

It took her a minute to really bring Steve into focus, as she did she noticed he was sitting in a wheelchair, IV pole behind him. "Shouldn't I…ask…you?" a small yawn escaped the woman in the bed.

"I'm good, just worried about you." McGarrett's voice still so quiet.

"Sore…" Kono said as she tried to shift in the bed slightly, wincing at the pull it put on her wound.

"Hey, hey, easy." Steve move forward, watching Kono's eyes squint closed in pain. "I'm gonna call the nurse." McGarrett went to move his hand from hers only for her to squeeze a little harder, "Kono?" His worry was increasing the longer it took the young woman to answer.

"Give me a minute." She whispered out, trying to steady her breathing through the pain.

"Let me call someone." Steve's voice becoming harder with worry.

In Kono's pain-filled mind she took his tone of concern as on of anger. "I'm sorry" Her voice so soft that he barely heard it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," He watched her eye's open, looking sadly toward him, pain still evident, but he also saw guilt. "I'm the one who needs to apologize."

"Boss…" Kono calling him boss again nearly broke what little composure Steve had managed to keep after waking that morning, especially after the very early morning conversations with Danny and Joe.

"Please Kono; you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one that failed you, I should have stopped IA to start with, you should have never been targeted for something I was responsible for." Steve looked intently at the young woman, hoping in the end he could regain her trust and forgiveness for letting her be placed in the position that had led her here.

"I wasn't blind to what happened; I knew what could happen to me if we were found out. You didn't force me to do anything, besides you had Laura Hills and the Governors murder hanging over your head." Kono's voice was becoming stronger.

"That was no excuse to let you be targeted and forced into this mess. Because of me Fryer saw an opportunity to manipulate the situation. I just wish you would have come to me." Steve watched his friend as she listened to his words, hoping she was seeing that he was meaning every word he was saying.

"Fryer threatened to come after Chin, after Danny and after you if he even thought you guys got wind of what he had me doing. Chin had just gotten back in with HPD, Danny had just gotten his badge back and you had just gotten Five-0 back, I couldn't jeopardize that. If I did…" Kono felt her eye's fill with tears, some from the pain in her chest, some for the pain in her heart for what she had done to her friends, to her ohana by pushing them away.

Again Steve came forward, placing his hand on the bed rail he stood up, continuing to hold her hand in his, "If you did, what?"

"Then I wouldn't have had a home to come back to." A lone tear finally escaped.

Those words tore into Steve's very soul, despite the thoughts and feelings Steve had been dealing with for the last several weeks, the ones that had nearly crippled him just hours ago, those few words from the young woman in front of him ignited something inside him so intense that he pushed his own feelings back into that box they were normally stored in in his mind and refocused his mind on the singular most important thing in his life, protecting those he cared about. Squeezing her hand firmly, making sure he had that connection, he leaned over slightly so he knew he had her attention, "Kono, I want you to listen to me. I promised you a year ago that I would do my best to protect you and again I am truly sorry for failing you on that. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness and hope you will give me time to rebuild that trust, but I want to tell you something very important, you will ALWAYS have a home to come to."Kono started to interrupt, but a slight shake of Steve's head told her he wasn't finished. "When I came back to this island I didn't have anyone. I had depended on myself for so long I didn't think I needed anyone, but I was wrong. Meeting Danny, Chin and you made me realize it was okay to let people in, that I could still function effectively with people in my life, people I grew to care about and no matter what I put you all through, for some reason, you guys seemed to care about me. That was the hardest part for me to accept, I still struggle with that, but because you all didn't give up on me, I keep trying and no matter what I will never give up on you all. I messed up this time and because of that we nearly lost you and again I can only hope you will forgive me, but like I said a year ago when Chin swore you in, we are a family and I promise you now I will never fail you again, any of you. I just ask you one thing…" Steve paused.

The expression on Kono's face asked 'what?' because the emotions she was feeling, that she had seen in the brutal honesty of McGarrett's face, would not allow her to speak.

"Do not ever let anyone force you do something because they are threatening me. No matter the consequences please come to me, I can only help if I know what is going on. I've lost too much family, I don't want to loss anymore. Just promise you will come to me." Steve finished.

Blinking through her tears Kono nodded, "Promise."

Steve smiled at her, nodding. "Now, I'm getting you're nurse, I know you are hurting and I'm going to need you back at one hundred percent before you can start kicking the ass of the bad guys that cross Five-0's path."Kono chuckled, just as the door to her room opened Danny followed by Chin entering, "That goes double for you oh fearless leader, so you better sit your ass back down in that chair so I can get you back to your room if you want to get out of here tomorrow." Williams chimed in, he and Chin only catching the last of the conversation.

That elicited a laugh from everyone but Steve, who begrudgedly retook his seat, "I thought it was later today."

"Oh again with that selective hearing you have, no my friend, tomorrow morning at the earliest, something about your electrolytes still being off." Danny moved toward Steve's chair, releasing the breaks to move him.

Before Danny and Steve reached the door, Kono's nurse entered the room, Chin having pushed the call button upon their return seeing the lines a pain on his cousin's face, knowing she was fighting it. "Hey Boss…" The young woman's tired voice called again. McGarrett turned toward her before Danny pushed him out the door, "You never told me what happened to you?" Worry heard over her exhaustion.

"Don't worry about me right now Kono, Danny's doing enough of that for everyone, you focus on getting better." He felt the slight pressure of Danny's hand on his shoulder, reminding him that he did, in

fact, have people that cared about him and would stand behind him no matter what.

"Yes, sir…" She said softly, smiling tiredly. McGarrett repaid that smile in kind as Danny wheeled him out of her room, headed back toward his own.

_Epilogue: one week later._

Steve was sitting in his office; Danny was across the main room in his, Lori had left for a meeting with the governor. Steve still was not thrilled with the 'babysitter' he felt the new governor had forced on them, but surprisingly Lori was proving that she could hold her own and let the team function as Steve (With Danny's constant reminders) saw fit.

Kono had been released from the hospital the day before and the Governor, surprisingly had given Five-0 the weekend off. The case load had actually been light all week considering Steve himself had only been released from the hospital six days ago. But they knew the lull wouldn't last, so they took the respite while they could. McGarrett was planning on having the whole team at his place that night for a cookout; he'd even invited his former Commander Joe White, hoping to ease some of the older man's worry he knew the man had had since Steve's revelation in the hospital.

The things that night had brought out had been filed away again in Steve's mind, as he'd done anytime his 'issues' would surface. His training had helped reinforce the techniques Steve had learned after his mother's death when he didn't want to deal with what he couldn't control. He knew he'd have to deal with them eventually before there was a time when his friends, his family couldn't pull him back in, but now wasn't it. Now they needed to focus on getting Kono better, getting her back where she belonged.

It was Danny's voice that brought him out of his thoughts, looking up he saw the reason "Hey, man it's good to see you up and about, but should you really be here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Williams was releasing Kono from a gentle hug as Steve made his way across the open room.

"I've been resting all week; I'd go crazy if I stayed in bed any longer. Besides Chin isn't letting me do anything he thinks will cause me any problems, which apparently to him is just about everything." Kono gave her cousin a sideways look, the older man just shrugging innocently.

He then looked at Danny for support, "Just because I offered to carry her up the stairs, doesn't mean I won't let her do anything."

"Seriously?" Kono glared at him, "The elevators were right there, walk in, push a button and we're here."

Danny laughed at the interaction between the cousin, thankful Kono was back and on the mend. Steve approached the group, having heard the conversation crossing the room. "Don't give him too hard of a time; we just want you to get better." Kono had held out her hand when McGarrett approached, but he surprised her by pulling her into a gentle hug. Chin glanced at Danny with a slightly surprised look. Steve was not the most tactile person and rarely showed outward affection, but the past week had thrown them all and right now, Danny was the only one of the team who truly knew what it had done to Steve.

Kono too was surprised by the embrace, but grateful none the less. "I know and I promise to rest before tonight, but I just had to get out some and I promised Chin I wouldn't overdo if we stopped by to say hi." The young woman moved back toward her cousin, who put a protective hand around her shoulder. "Plus I wanted to make sure you hadn't given my office away, I understand we have a new teammate."

"He won't give me an office. He still doesn't like the fact I called this job 'babysitting' when we were first introduced." A new voice came from behind Kono as Lori Weston entered the bullpen.

"That's not why you don't have an office, we're only set up for four offices and those are occupied, you've been working out her in the main room without a problem." Steve crossed his arms.

"You set me up a chair in the corner of the room, it's a wonder I can get anything done." Lori countered, her posture mimicking Steve's.

"Yeah, but…" McGarrett was cut off by Danny.

"Okay, that's enough children; let's play nice since this is Kono's first unofficial day back. We don't need to give her a headache so soon." Williams countered with the wave of his arms, motioning back and forth between the two people.

Kono glanced toward Chin, wondering if this how things had been, he gave her slight smile and subtle node as the blond-haired woman stepped up to Kono holding out her hand, "I'm Lori Weston, sorry we weren't properly introduced the last time you were here, a bit to much was going on that day. I'm glad to see you are getting better."

"Thanks," Kono replied. "And just to let you know, you can use my office until I get back and if you are okay with it, we can share until something more permanent is figured out." The young woman glanced toward Steve, daring him to say anything, it was obvious he was still a bit leery of the new woman, but Kono decided she'd give her a chance. It might be nice to have another woman on the team.

McGarrett nodded at Kono's suggestion, he knew right now he wouldn't be able to deny the healing woman much and if she was okay with Lori working in her office, he was okay with it too.

Again Danny's voice broke the silence. Clapping his hands together he motioned to each of them, looking at Steve first. "We still on for your place tonight?"

McGarrett nodded, "About six if that is good for everyone and yes Lori you are welcome too." He smiled at the blond woman.

"Thank you, should I bring anything?" Since she had come to the team they hadn't done anything as a unit except work, it would be interesting to see her new teammates outside the office. She wondered if she'd get a better read on McGarrett now that the tension that surrounded what was going on with Kono had been resolved.

"You could pick up some long boards." Steve said. Weston nodded; McGarrett then looked at everyone, "Okay, Chin you need to take Kono home so she can rest…" When he saw the young woman start to protest he held up his hand, "Can't have you falling asleep just as the foods getting done tonight," He smiled, "Danny, Lori and I will finish up business here, close up shop for the weekend and see you guys at six."

"Sounds good to me, it'll be nice for all us to be back together, where we belong." Chin added as he motioned Kono toward the door.

"Yes it will." Steve said aloud watching Chin and Kono leave, Danny returned to his office, Lori making her way into Kono's, "Yes it will." he repeated softly heading toward his own.

A_/N#2: For those who may be interested in the Steve story I alluded to in earlier chapters, I hope to start it soon as long as the interest is still there. It will only be a one-shot and I'm thinking of including Joe in that story along with the obvious Steve and Danny interaction. Just let me know if there is still interest. Again thanks for all the support for this story-Montez_


End file.
